1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to weight lifting aids, and in particular, to a wrist strap adapted for use with a weight lifting system and designed to reduce reliance upon hand grip strength during weight lifting, as well as a telescoping weight bar suitable for use with the wrist strap.
2. Description of the Related Art
Weight lifting is both a popular sport and a means of increasing physical fitness through strength training. When lifting weights, the hands and fingers of a person are typically wrapped around a bar, handle, or similar handhold such that the weight is firmly gripped and therefore manipulable by the person. If the person unexpectedly or accidentally loses a tight grip on the handhold, even momentarily, then he or she may drop the weight and/or compensate for the sudden loose grip by immediately making a stiffening, jerking, or twisting body motion. Such a quick body motion undertaken while the muscles are still under stress can lead to soft tissue or muscular injury. Similarly, if the person lacks the ability or strength to firmly grip or consistently maintain a firm grip on a weight, then he or she may be unable to participate in a conventional weight lifting regimen.
Accordingly, technology has been developed in an attempt to enhance the gripping ability of a person or to enable a person to lift or pull weights or other heavy objects without reliance upon strong grip strength. For example, U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. US 2003/0148861 published Aug. 7, 2003, for McBride, describes a grasping and lifting aid comprising a flexible strap that loops around the user's wrist then wraps around a weight bar. A portion of the strap has anti-slip properties such that the user's hand is less apt to slip when he or she grasps the wrapped weight bar. Although this device enhances a user's gripping ability by reducing slippage, it is not designed to significantly obviate the need for a strong and consistent hand grip during weight lifting.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,368 issued to Rasmussen on Sep. 29, 1998, describes a hand-held dog restraint wherein the user inserts his hand and wrist through a wrist loop, then grasps a padded hand grip on a rigid bar, the far end of which has a dog collar attachment clip. The wrist loop, therefore, does not eliminate the need to tightly grip the rigid bar, as it only serves as a back-up to keep the bar in easy reach if the user loses his or her grasp on the rigid bar. The wrist loop is not adjustable in size as it is not meant to wrap tightly around the user's wrist.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,556 issued to Saavedra on Jan. 2, 2001, describes a wrist strap apparatus for use in weight training comprising a wrist strap having a connected dependent strap portion with a spring clip or carabiner for attachment to weight training equipment. The strap is wrapped around a user's wrist and secured thereto using a hook and loop fastener. A thumb loop circles around the user's thumb to help keep the strap in place around the user's wrist. This device can remove hand grip strength as a limiting factor in weight lifting. However, once it is wrapped around a user's wrist it cannot be loosened, tightened, or otherwise adjusted to more comfortably fit around the user's wrist without first unhooking and unwrapping it, then re-wrapping it in the desired position. Such a maneuver could not be accomplished during a lift and could not be accomplished between lifts without stopping the lifting routine. Thus, this device is not designed to permit small, but potentially very comforting, adjustments of the tightness or position of the strap around the user's wrist during a lift or between lift repetitions.
Additionally, placement and securing of the Saavedra strap around the wrist requires the use of both of the user's hands or the assistance of another person. Thus, two of these devices could not remain attached to the ends of a typical weight bar (i.e., one device attached to each end of the bar) such that a person could walk up to the weight machine and attach the device on one end of the bar to one of his or her wrists then attach the device on the other end of the bar to his or her other wrist (unless the bar was very short). The reason for this is that once the person had secured one wrist to one device, that hand could not reach over to assist in securing the other wrist to the other device. One or both of the devices would first have to be removed from the weight machine, or alternatively the assistance of a second person would be needed. The following publications disclose similar weight lifting wrist strap devices using hook and loop fasteners for securing the device onto a user's wrist, thus resulting in the same limitations described above for the Saavedra device: U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,494 issued to Watkins et al. on Dec. 7, 1999; U.S. Des. Pat. No. D459,772 issued to Meldeau on Jul. 2, 2002; and U.S. Des. Pat. No. D464,686 issued to Silveira et al. on Oct. 22, 2002.